Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 35,035 complaints for SUBARU
Incident date: Jul 25, 2022
Noticed excessive oil consumption (no visible leaks) ~ 1 qt (or more) per 1000 miles. Right before the oil change at 83656 mi (~4000 mi after the last oil change, I decided to check the oil level and the dipstick was completely dry, with no low oil lights no check engine lights, no leaks, nothing. When I went to the dealership for the oil change and mention that - the engineer said that "1 quart o... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2023
My Electric Power Steering Module was recalled my Ford and they stated that they reprogrammed the module (because at that time there were no fault codes) well now my steering went out and I almost wrecked my vehicle and when I called ford they stated they reprogrammed the module but also they are saying the recall expired 10 years from manufacture date (my fusion is a 2012) so the SAFETY RECALL ex... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated with the traction control warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after several seconds, the vehicle accelerated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Water pump failing, has leak
Incident date: Mar 13, 2020
My son was driving my wife's 2019 Rogue in dry and clear weather when the brake warning system started beeping and braking at about 20 MPH and about 20 feet from the car in front of him, as soon as the beeping started he pressed on the brake pedal as hard as he could. As he did this the brake pedal went completely to the floor and brake system did not stop or slow down at all, allowing him to hit ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the contact attempted to turn off the vehicle; however, the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition. Additionally, the trunk failed to open as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The fail... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
Both rear taillights have condensation since 1 month out from purchase till currently. Dealer garage will not fix it says it normal and will not even write up or make an appointment to have it checked. Recently, I was proceeding into the highway and I lost acceleration to move into traffic that scared the life out of and my family. Pressed the gas and car doesn’t move at all then hardly at 40rp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
Both rear taillights have condensation since 1 month out from purchase till currently. Dealer garage will not fix it says it normal and will not even write up or make an appointment to have it checked. Recently, I was proceeding into the highway and I lost acceleration to move into traffic that scared the life out of and my family. Pressed the gas and car doesn’t move at all then hardly at 40rp... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
Mazda is producing and installing bad belt tensioner sand bad belts for new cars belt tensioner only lasts about 27,500 miles and belt only lasts 11 month/14,000 miles belt tensioner is a major safety issue
Incident date: Apr 26, 2023
Driving on freeway at approx 65 mph when the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) notification flashed on the dash, and the car automatically hard braked on its own, while my foot was on the gas.Only lasted a few seconds but I felt the lag and it resumed back to normal. This is my second experience of this happening since purchasing the car in February of 2022. The first time however, was at a much slow... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
The belt lock indicator on the base stays green even when unlocked.
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
Oil consumption is outrageous, having to put a quart in every time I fuel up from empty. Car has a little over 126k miles on it....
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
The driver's seat belt consistently came 'unbuckled'. There were times that I had to pull over to re-insert it into the base. On 14 DEC 2022, I took the van to Honda of Gainesville FL to have this evaluated and repaired. The seat belt was replaced that day for a total of $269.67 (a receipt is available upon request). Last week, I checked the recalls online and Honda is recalling its 2018 Odyss... Read more
Incident date: Apr 17, 2023
The bike in question has given multiple issues and safety concerns. I would ride and the bike would die. I would be in the middle of an intersection and the engine would die leaving me in the middle with no power. It would happen in parking lots and on the highway as well. It's been in the shop and had the recall completed in november/December. I was told that would solve the issue. It was droppe... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to pull over into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacture stated that the v... Read more
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
The contact's father owns a 2009 GMC Sierra. The contact stated that while his father was making a left turn at 20 MPH, another vehicle from the opposite direction ran the red light and struck the contact's father's driver's side front end. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. None of the air bags deployed upon impact. The contact's father suffered rib, pelvis, and spine fractures and was trans... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
Inside the truck I have located a crack in the rear window. The crack is in both sides of the sliding rear window and now leaks. I’m sure overtime this can damage in the interior which may damage seats and or the body of the vehicle. My vehicle is out of warrants and apparently they won’t cover this. Major defect, websites easily accessible with the same issue I have encountered.
Incident date: Mar 15, 2023
Inside the truck I have located a crack in the rear window. The crack is in both sides of the sliding rear window and now leaks. I’m sure overtime this can damage in the interior which may damage seats and or the body of the vehicle. My vehicle is out of warrants and apparently they won’t cover this. Major defect, websites easily accessible with the same issue I have encountered.
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
For an unknown reason, the car caught fire and exploded while parked in a residential parking lot.
Fire
Incident date: Apr 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2013 Chrysler 200. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, he noticed that the front passenger’s side headrest had deployed without impact. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V640000 (Seats, Air Bags). The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that when he entered the v... Read more
Incident date: May 22, 2020
1. Anti-Lock Brake System Hydraulic Control Unit 2. Possible safety issue with no ABS available 3. Yes evidently the new part needed in "under engineering review". 4. Took truck to mechanic and confirmed the HCU unit 5. yes have warning messages that WILL NOT STOP CHIMING; Service Electronic Braking system; Service Anti-lock Brake System
Incident date: May 22, 2020
1. Anti-Lock Brake System Hydraulic Control Unit 2. Possible safety issue with no ABS available 3. Yes evidently the new part needed in "under engineering review". 4. Took truck to mechanic and confirmed the HCU unit 5. yes have warning messages that WILL NOT STOP CHIMING; Service Electronic Braking system; Service Anti-lock Brake System
Incident date: May 22, 2020
There were no reported maintenance problems with the Ford F150 before the fire occurred. On the day of the fire, the vehicle was being driven by an ADOT employee who was east bound on Interstate 8 near mile post 39 when she began to smell smoke. The employee pulled over to the side of the road and observed smoke emanating from the side of the hood. The employee report that she observed little pla... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Apr 11, 2023
Wipers go to an intermittent state while in the constant wipe positions. Both low and high speed.
Incident date: Mar 4, 2023
While driving at normal highway speeds, the piece of black trim on the passengers side of windshield flew off. Thankfully I was alone on the road so it did not strike another passenger. I took the vehicle to Ford. The service managed admitted that they had several issues with pieces falling off, but since it was not under warranty or recall I had to pay full price to have it fixed. This could have... Read more
Incident date: Jan 16, 2023
The vehicle steering has been off and alignment when driving. My gas gauge has been off constantly, since I've owned the vehicle. I documented this many times and reported this to the dealership under warranty and Volkswagen care.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
Strong odor of gas both inside and outside the vehicle. Vehicle was taken to dealership for warranty repair and dealership stated there is a known issue with the 2023 Rogue however Nissan does not know what the issue is or how to fix it but they are working on a fix. Over one month later and multiple conversations with consumer affairs they are refusing to fix or replace the car. There are heal... Read more
Incident date: Nov 4, 2019
Electronic power steering systems failure (2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid) due to issues of excessive heat on the motor), Power steering locked. I was on HWY90 when the steering locked, I almost got in big accident on the HWY 90.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
TPMS light comes off and on even though tires are fine. Back of vehicle shakes, and feels unstable especially on highway when speeds are higher. And you can hear a sound clicking that comes from the rear end of the vehicle.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
CVT Transmission issues The car looses power starts high RPM and will not shift then accelerator fails to respond altogether causing car to suddenly slowdown in traffic. This is second time this has happened; first occurrence was on 3/27/22. the dealership reprogramed the cars computer that time. 4/23/23 This time I had to have the car towed back to the dealership.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
While waiting at a busy intersection, waiting to turn left, the idle stop malfunctioned and the engine would not restart. I was left in the middle of a busy intersection with my son in the car. After 20 minutes I finally disconnected and reconnected the battery in order to get the car out of the intersection. I have had this problem for the past 4 years and have been given different possible so... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2023
While waiting at a busy intersection, waiting to turn left, the idle stop malfunctioned and the engine would not restart. I was left in the middle of a busy intersection with my son in the car. After 20 minutes I finally disconnected and reconnected the battery in order to get the car out of the intersection. I have had this problem for the past 4 years and have been given different possible so... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
I was experiencing intermittent Bluetooth connection issues along with vehicle not powering off and the gear shifting to park when moving the vehicle at (very) low speed without the seatbelt buckled. I noticed the Bluetooth connection problem after a bad software installation in Jan 2023, however the other two issues have been noticed since at least 2020. When I took the car for a second time, Te... Read more
Incident date: Feb 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Palisade. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V633000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the trailer hitch fuse was removed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not mad... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2022
CVT Tansmission went out with only 120,000 miles resulting in a costly transmission replacement
SUBARU
IMPREZA
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:CRANK/CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR
Apr 24, 2023
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford F-150. The contact stated that at startup, she heard a rattling sound at the hood of the vehicle. The contact then stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact was unsure of any warning lights. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the PCM needed reprogramming with th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 24, 2023
Electrical Malfunction light came on and it says to pull over and cut your car off and also contact your dealer. This is very scary because you may be in am area that is very isolated or dangerous to stop. This is very disturbing. This is a known problem by Audi. The vehicle is currently at the Audi dealership. There were no warnings prior to this.
Incident date: Mar 8, 2023
The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had n... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to the engine coolant mixing with the engine oil, and that the camshaft was damaged. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was... Read more
Incident date: Apr 20, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cam phasers were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the engine made abnormal sputtering sounds while driving and while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken... Read more
Incident date: Apr 23, 2023
This vehicle accelerate suddenly while it is slowing down even if I have foot on break paddle. I have complained to Toyota dealers but they said that hybrid vehicle operates like that. This is very dangerous and nobody is taking seriously. I do not believe that this works like that. I have seen so many people complain online about this problem in 2022 hybrid sienna. Please help.
Incident date: May 20, 2022
The trunk will not close properly. It appears as if the trunk itself is not even. There is a gap on the side that is larger than the area on the left side. Almost as if the trunk was pulled from another vehicle that wasn't quite the same model. The trunk latch does not close on the first try nor the second or third. Now its not closing at all. Just bought the vehicle Feb. 28, 2023 and already ha... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2022
We have the Ford "death wobble"—have had a few scary incidents on the freeway at speeds 50 or above.
Incident date: May 20, 2022
We have the Ford "death wobble"—have had a few scary incidents on the freeway at speeds 50 or above.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2023
Battery fails often, does not hold a charge, consistently registers as low battery. Occurs several times in 2021, 2022, and 2023, Have had to replace battery twice in 2 years.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2021
As I was driving home from my place of employment which is exactly 30 miles from where I live my Steering Assist went out and it was very hard to steer and to even stay in the lane which I was driving I managed to get the car home and did an under carriage inspection and there was no damage still kind of shaken from the power steering going out I checked for the power steering pump and the power s... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
Engine had power loss going up an overpass. No warning lights came on, and engine began to knock(maybe lifters?). There was a loud noise and we experienced critical engine failure, with a hole being blown through the block in at least 2 spots.
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
Was driving and the steering wheel became stiff. I received no warnings indications or lights on the dash. I had to give it a hard turn to get it to a parking lot and have it towed to a dealership.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2023
The dashboard screen and main screen have been stuck in night mode for months. This makes driving during daytime hours extremely difficult because the dashboard screen cannot be seen. This screen includes, but is not limited to, speed, tire pressure, lame departure warning, and temperature. The vehicle has been to the dealer multiple times and the manufacturer has been contacted. The problem has b... Read more